Method and apparatus for relief paste-up process



June 27, 1967 J. N. BARRON 3,327,400

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIEF PASTE-UP PROCESS Filed June 17, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fi l ;1 43% 30 40 38 4 -ffia A,

2 J0 I fidezzor 1 57 Jofizz Nfiarzozz June 27, 1967 J. N. BARRON 3,327,400

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIEF PASTE-UP PROCESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1965 J. N- BARRON June 27, 1967 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIEF PASTE-UP PROCESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 17, 1965 June 27, 1967 J. N. BARRON 3,327,490

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIEF PASTE-UP PROCESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 17, 1965 United States Patent 3,327,400 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RELIEF PASTE-UP PROCESS John N. Barron, Spring Valley, I11., assignor to Graphic Electronics, Inc, La Salle, Il1., a corporation of Delaare Filed June 17, 1965, Ser. No. 464,723 7 Claims. (C1. 33-1845) The present invention relates to the assembly of relief elements such as lines of type and engravings and the like in accordance with a previously prepared layout as when setting up a newspaper advertisement or the like which is conventional printing apparatus.

It is known in the art that much time and effort can be eliminated in the assembly of relief elements such as lines of type and engravings by using what is referred to as a paste-up process. The paste-up process involves the use of conventional lines of type which have been subjected to a sawing operation in order to reduce their thickness to that of the usual relatively thin fiat cast or engraving, and then pasting or adhesively securing the lines of type and .engravings and the like in their proper positions on a support sheet,. leaving open spaces in those areas Where no copy is to be reproduced. Such a process has been found to possess many advantages over the more conventional method of assembling relief elements where slugs of type of full type height are employed and every area not containing a relief element must be filled with spacing material which is painstakingly cut to size.

The aforementioned known relief paste-up process involves taking conventional lines of types from a typesetting 3,327,400 Patented June 27, 1967 "Ice the same height as the conventional flat casts or engravings which normally are assembled therewith in the composition of a full advertisement or thelike in accordance with sensitive adhesive on one side so that the foregoing relief elements may simply be pressed down on the support sheet in order to secure the same thereto. When the several relief elements required for the complete advertisement have all been secured to the support sheet, the latter may be mounted on base material and locked in a conventional chase ultimately to be reproduced from a press plate or other or linecasting machine and spacing such type out vertically on a galley in accordance with a previously prepared layout. Thus, with reference to the layout copy, the lines of type are spaced out vertically with appropriate spacing material therebetween as indicated generally by the layout, and thereafter pressure sensitive adhesive tape is applied adhesive side down over the several spaced lines of type in. order .to maintain the spacing therebetween. The spacing material is of a lesser thickness or height than the type and thus is not contacted by the face tape, and thus the assembly is temporarily handled in such a manner as to maintain the spacing material therein. The grouped lines .of type are then subjected to a sawing operation in order to sever off a major portion of type body along a plane parallel to the type faces leaving only a small thickness thereof to support the type face. Depending upon the ca-' pacity of the saw, it is customary to cut the face tape transversely at several places in order to provide a plurality of plackets or grouped lines of type with spacingmaterial therebetween, each placket being of a size Which can be accommodated by the saw. One a placket or group of lines of type has been subjected to a sawing operation to substantially reduce the thickness or height of the lines of type, the spacing material is permitted to drop out along with the body material which has been severed from the type faces, and the resulting plackets each comprise a plurality of appropriately spaced lines of type maintained in an assembly by means of the face tape previously applied to the type faces.

The lines of type or metal slugs which have been reduced in height by the sawing operation are substantially together withother elements which make up a complete newspaper page, and a mat or stereotype matrix is then prepared from which a press plate may be made according to conventional processes.

The present invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for assembling the various plackets and engravings on a support sheet in order to provide both increased speed and greater accuracy in the performance of this step in the overall relief paste-up process. One known method of assembling the relief elements on a support sheet is described in Woods Patent 3,086,462 and involves placing the actual layout copy upside down on the top of a conventional light table, superposing a support sheet over the inverted layout copy, and then, by observing the details of the layout through the support sheet, the relief elements are placed down on the upper pressure sensitive adhesive surface of the support sheet so as to be secured thereto. However, the foregoing method has certain disadvantages which have limited its use in the trade. One basic disadvantage is that the customary layout copy is quite rough and inexact, and it is not possible to accurately arrange the plackets or grouped lines of type and engraving by simply locating such relief elements in accordance with the original layout. Thus, as a practical matter, the light table method normally requires a general reworking of the advertisement, and it is not possible to achieve a high degree of accuracy in the placement of the various relief elements. Furthermore, layouts are now normally prepared on transparent paper, and it is sometimes diflicult to see them clearly since the light must shine through the layout sheet. Moreover, it is not only an inconvenience that each operator must be supplied with a light table, and that he must work with the light shining in his eyes, but with only the original layout as a guide and without solid borders to work against it is not possible to lay down the relief elements accurately so that horizontal lines of type are precisely horizontal and vertical relief elements such as border rules and the like are precisely vertical.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for use in conjunction with a relief paste-up process for positioning relief elements such as grouped lines of type and engravings and the like on a support sheet in a more accurate manner than has heretofore been possible.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus including a grid plate and a series of strip magnets for use in practicing the above-mentioned method.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description thereof.

Now in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner of utilizing and practicing my invention, I shall describe, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, certain preferred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a grid plate which comprises one component of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view looking approximately in the direction of the arrows 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of one pair of a series of pairs of horizontal strip magnets which are usable in conjunction with the grid plate of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view showing in solid lines another pair of the horizontal stripmagnets and showing in dash lines pairs of, strip magnets of various other lengths which together comprise a complete series of horizontal strip magnets usable in conjunction with the grid plate of FIGURE 1; 7

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of a vertical strip magnet which is also usable in conjunction with the grid plate of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 77 of FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view, partly in section,

showing a plurality of lines of type in the form of cast Qf type arranged inthe galley;

FIGURE 10 showsthe grouped lines of type of FIG- URE 9 after a sawing operation to sever off the major portion of the body material from the type faces and thereby substantially reduce the height of the lines of type, the .grouped slugs of type being shown with the spacing material removed but with the face tape still in place to preserve the spacing of the type faces;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a roll of transparent vinyl sheet material made in predetermined column widths and usable vassupport sheet material in the method of the present invention;

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the grid plate, horizontal and vertical strip magnets and a support sheet in the practice of the method of the present invention; and

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view which shows a final assembly of relief elements on a support sheet for the purpose of further illustrating the method and apparatus of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a thin steel grid plate .30 which measures approximately 23 inches in height and approximately 19 inches in width so as to be as large as the largest conventional newspaper page. The plate 30 has a grid pattern formed thereon over substantially its entire surface by means of a silk screen process or by other suitable means which leave the desired pattern permanently visible on the top of the plate. Thegrid pattern comprises a plurality of horizontal inch lines 32 which are numbered 1 through 22 beginning at the lower end of the plate and progressing upwardly in one-inch increments. In addition, between each of the horizontal inch lines 32 there are provided five horizontal lines 34 which divide the one inch spaces between each line 32 into six equal parts. There are also provided a plurality of vertical grid lines 36, there being six such lines to the inch. Accordingly, the grid pattern formed on the plate 30 comprises a plurality of squares which are one-sixth of an inch or one pica on each side, each square thus being one square pica.

A straight edge 38 is disposed vertically and alfixed to the plate 30 at the left hand margin of the grid pattern, and as will be described more fully hereinafter the permanent edge 38 is used to define one border of an advertisement which is set up by assembling various relief elements and securing the same to a support sheet superposed over the grid pattern. FIGURE 5 shows a vertical strip magnet 40 which is intended to be positioned on the top of the plate 30 in order to define the right hand border of an advertisement which is being composed in an assembly of relief elements, and FIGURE 3 illustrates one pair of horizontal strip magnets 42a and-42b which are intended to be mounted on the grid plate 30 in order to define the upper and lower borders of the advertisement. The permanent left hand border or straight edge 38 extends substantially the full height of the plate 30, and the single vertical strip magnet 40 is also of a length approximately equal to the height of the plate 30 so that it may serve as the right hand border for an advertisement of any size which is being assembled on the grid plate.

As shown in FIGURE 6, the vertical strip magnet 40 comprises an upper metal layer 44 which is magnetized, and a plastic underlayer 46. The pair of horizontal strip magnets 42a and 42b shown in FIGURE 3 are also com-. prised of an upper metal layer which is magnetized and a plasticunderlayer. The horizontal strips magnets are provided in pairs and each pair is of a different length corresponding to the column widths used in the printing of newspapers. Thus, there are nine pairs of horizontal strip magnets provided, one pair being one column long, another pair being two columns in lengths, and so on up to the longest pair which have a length of nine columns. The horizontal strip magnets 42a and 42b shown in FIGURE 3 represent the longest pair of horizontal strip magnets and thus their length or horizontal dimension is equal to nine columns in a printed newspaper. FIGURE 4 shows in solid lines a pair of horizontal strip magnets 42c and 42d which represent the shortest pair of horizontal strip magnets, and their length or horizontal dimension is equal to one column. FIGURE 4 further indicates in dotted lines the various other lengths in which pairs of horizontal strip magnets are provided, each succeeding pair being one column longer than the previous pair. In the particular embodiment being described, the horizontal strip magnet 42a which forms an upper border is somewhat greater in its height or vertical dimension than the corresponding magnet 4212 which forms a lower border, .and the same is true with respect to the other pairs of horizontal strip magnets 42, but the vertical dimension of the magnets 42 is subject to variation and obviously is not critical.

I will now describe the manner in which the foregoing apparatus is used in the practice of the method of the present invention. FIGURE 8 shows a plurality of lines of type in the form of cast metal slugs 50 which are spaced out in a galley 52 with spacing material 54 inserted in appropriate places in accordance with the spacing desired in the final assembly of relief elements. FIGURE 8 shows the lines of type or slugs 50 in side elevation, and it will be seen that the spacing material 54 is of a reduced height relative to the type. The spacing between the lines of type may be determined from a layout (not shown) which indicates in rough fashion the overall advertisement or other subject matter which is to be printed. Once the type 50 has been spaced out on the galley, a strip of pressure sensitive tape 56 is applied adhesive side down over the tops of the type faces as illustrated in FIGURE 9, thus forming a placket comprising grouped lines of type which is then subjected to a sawing operation to sever the major portion of the body material from the slugs 50.

FIGURE 10 shows a placket or group of lines of type 50 after completion of a sawing operation, and it will be seen that the tape 56 is still adhered to the type faces so as to maintain the desired spacing therebetween, while the spacing material 54 has been permitted to fall out upon the completion of the sawing operation. It will be understood that after the sawing operation the lines of type 50 as shown in FIGURE are of a thickness or height approximately equal to the thickness or height of various engravings or fiat casts of the type which normally comprise elements of an overall relief assembly for a newspaper advertisement or the like. Thus the various grouped lines of type or plackets such as the one shown in FIGURE 10, together with any engravings or the like required for a given advertisement, may be gathered together and adhesively secured to a single support sheet in order to provide a relief assembly from which a mat or stereotype matrix can be produced. The manner of properly positioning such relief elements on a support sheet will be described hereinbelow.

The size of a given advertisement or the like will of course be known from the layout, and by way of example it will be assumed that an advertisement is to run two columns in width and to be eight inches in height. FIG- URE 11 shows a roll of transparent vinyl support sheet material from which a length may be cut to provide a support sheet 58. The transparent vinyl material may be provided in rolls of column width, so that in the present example it may be assumed that the material 58 is sup plied in a roll which is two columns in width. Thus, a sheet 58 having a length or height of eight inches is cut from the supply roll to provide a support sheet'for the relief assembly.

The next step is to provide a frame for the relief assembly to be composed, and this is done on the grid plate 30 by means of the vertical and horizontal strip magnets previously described. Thus, since the relief assembly is to be two columns wide, a horizontal strip magnet 42 having a length or horizontal dimension equal to two columns is placed on the grid plate 30 as shown in FIG- URES 12 and 13 so that the upper edge thereof coincides with the bottom of the grid pattern, i.e. at the zero inch line. Thereafter, the corresponding horizontal strip magnet 42e which is also two columns long is placed horizontallyon the grid plate 30 so that the lower edge thereof coincides with the eight inch line 32 formed in the grid pattern. Both of the horizontal strip magnets 42c and 42f are placed with their left hand ends disposed against the fixed straight edge 38. The vertical strip magnet 40 is placed vertically on the grid plate 30 as shown in FIGURES 12 and 13 with the left hand edge thereof disposed against the ends of the horizontal magnets 42e and 42 The various strip magnets are all magnetized and it will thus be understood that they are attracted to the steel plate 30 and remain in the positions in which they are placed. It will further be understood from the foregoing that in the example described the fixed straight edge 38 together with the two horizontal strip magnets 42:: and 42 and the vertical strip magnet 40 define a border or frame for the relief assembly which is eight inches high and two columns wide.

The support sheet 58 is next placed on the grid plate 30 within the frame described above. The pressure sensitive adhesive sheet 58 is positioned adhesive side up, and it is held in the desired position by the various strip magnets and the fixed edge 38 which not only define a frame and hold the transparent support sheet in position, but also provide solid sides to work against when the relief elements are assembled on top of the support sheet. The step of positioning the plackets and engravings and the like on the support sheet 58 is conducted with reference to a layout (not shown) which shows in rough fashion the overall advertisement to be printed. However, because the vinyl support sheet 58 is transparent, the grid pattern formed on the plate 30 is visible through the support sheet and is of considerable assistance in the placement of the various relief elements.

Thus, while it will at times be desirable to make measurements on the layout copy to determine the location 6 of a particular relief element, it is normally not necessary to 'make any measurements on the support sheet 58 because the horizontal inch lines 32 together with the square pica grid pattern will enable an experienced operator to quickly place any given relief element in its proper position on the support sheet. The placement of the relief elements is also greatly facilitated due to the four solid sides which frame the assembly and define the borders thereof. Moreover, because the grid pattern includes a plurality of horizontal lines 34 which are spaced apart a distance of one pica, and a plurality of vertical lines 36 which are also spaced apart a distance of one pica, it becomes a simple manner to orient horizontal lines of type and other relief elements intended to be placed horizontally or vertically with extreme accuracy.

The handling of the relief elements when placing the same on the support sheet 58 may be facilitated by using a tool, indicated schematically at T in FIGURE 12, having an adhesive bottom surface. Thus, the tool T may be placed down on the top of some grouped lines of type so as to adhere to the face tape 56 thereon, and then the lines of type may be positioned on the support sheet 58 in the manner described above and pressed down to secure the same to the adhesive upper surface of the support sheet. Once all of the relief elements have been secured to the support sheet, the face tape 56 on the various grouped lines of type is removed to expose the type faces. FIGURE 13 represents an example of a completed relief assembly with the several lines of type and engravings adhesively secured to the support sheet 58 and with the face tape 56 removed to expose the type faces. The support sheet 58 with the several relief elements secured thereto may then be lifted from the grid plate 30 and positioned in a chase for the making of a mat or stereotype matrix.

When the support sheet 58 with the relief elements thereon is locked in a chase, it is mounted on base material in order to bring it up to type height which is approximately 0.918 inch. The base material (not shown) may comprise plastic blocks, manufactured in pre-set column widths as in the case of the vinyl sheet material 58, and the base blocks may be provided in heights such as one inch, five inches and ten inches so that they may be combined to provide a base which is the size of the relief assembly. The thickness of such blocks would of course be that required to bring the relief elements up to the above-mentioned type height.

It will be understood that the series of pairs of horizontal strip magnets 42 together with the vertical strip magnet 40 and the fixed straight edge 38 will permit an operator to set up a frame on the grid plate 30 for an advertisement or the like of any size up to the size of a full newspaper page. FIGURE 1 shows in dotted lines a pair of horizontal strip magnets 42g and 42h which are each of a length equal to eight columns, and it will be seen that the upper strip magnet 42g is positioned with the lower edge thereof coinciding wiht the horizontal 18 inch grid line. Accordingly, the strip magnets together with the straight edge member 38 define a frame for an advertisement or the like which is eight columns in width and 1-8 inches in height.

The method and apparatus of the present invention permit an operator to set up a frame on the grid plate 30 having any desired column width and any desired height in inches. The setting up of the frame is an extremely simple operation, and yet by holding the support sheet 58 in place and providing solid boundaries for the advertisement it greatly facilitates the next step of positioning the relief elements on the support sheet and securing them thereto. Moreover, as described hereinabove, the square pica grid pattern on the plate 30 permits an operator to mount the relief elements on the support sheet as fast or faster than other methods heretofore known and with significantly greater accuracy.

While I have described my invention in a preferred form, I do not intend to be limited to that form, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, since modifications coming within the scope of my invention will be readily suggested to others with my disclosure before them.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for use in a relief paste-up process for constructing a relief assembly by securing relief elements to a transparent support sheet, said apparatus comprising in combination, a flat metal grid plate having a grid pattern formed thereon, a straight edge fixed to the top surface of said grid plate along one side thereof and extending vertically to define one. border of a relief assembly to be constructed, a series of horizontal strip magnets of different lengths each corresponding to the width of a predetermined number of newspaper columns, a selected one of said horizontal strip magnets being manually positioned horizontally on the top surface of said grid plate so that one end thereof substantially abuts said fixed straight edge while a longitudinal edge of said strip magnet defines a second border for said relief assembly, and a vertical strip magnet, said vertical strip magnet being manually positioned vertically on the top surface of said grid plate so that a longitudinal edge thereof substantially abuts the other end of said selected horizontal strip magnet and defines a third border for said relief assembly, whereby said magnets will be attracted to said grid plate and releasably held in the positions they are placed so that a transparent support sheet may be position on the top surface of said grid plate within the borders defined by said fixed edge and said horizontal and vertical strip magnets, and relief elements may be secured to the top of said support sheet with the aid of said grid pattern.

2. Apparatus for use in a relief paste-up process for constructing a relief assembly by securing relief elements to a transparent support sheet, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a fiat metal grid plate having a grid pattern formed thereon, a straight edge fixed to the top surface of said grid plate along one side thereof and extending vertically to define one side border of a relief assembly to be constructed, a series of pairs of horizontal st-rip magnets of different lengths each corresponding to the width of a predetermined number of newspaper columns, each pair of horizontal strip magnets comprising two magnets of the same length different from the lengths of the other pairs in said series, a selected pair of said horizontal strip magnets being manually positioned on the top surface of said grid plate in vertically spaced rela tion with one end of each magnet in the selected pair substantially abutting said fixed straight edge, a longitudinal edge of one of said selected pair defining an upper border and a longitudinal edge of the other defining a lower border for said relief assembly, and a vertical strip magnet, said vertical strip magnet being manually positioned vertically on the top surface of said grid plate so that a longitudinal edge thereof substantially abuts the other end of each horizontal strip magnet in said selected pair and defines a second side border for said relief assembly, whereby said magnets will be attracted to said grid plate and releasably held in the positions they are placed so that a transparent support sheet may be positioned on the top surface of said grid plate within the borders defined by said fixed edge and said horizontal and vertical strip magnets, and relief elements may be secured to the top of said support sheet with the aid of said grid pattern.

3. Apparatus for use in a relief paste-up process for constructing a relief assembly by securing relief elements to a transparent support sheet, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a flat metal grid plate having a grid pattern formed thereon comprised of a plurality of closely spaced horizontal grid lines and a plurality of closely spaced vertical grid lines intersecting said horizontal grid lines, a straight edge fixed to the top surface of said grid plate along one side thereof and extending vertically to define one border of a relief assembly to be constructed, a series of horizontal strip magnets of different lengths each corresponding to the width of a predetermined number of newspaper columns, a selected one of said horizontal strip magnets being manually positioned on the top of said grid plate so that one end thereof substantially abuts said fixed straight edge while a longitudinal edge of said strip magnet substantially coincides with one of said horizontal grid lines to define a second border for said relief assembly, and a vertical strip magnet of a length approximately as great as the vertical dimension of said grid plate, said vertical strip magnet being manually positioned on the top surface of said grid plate so that a longitudinal edge thereof substantially abuts the other end of said selected horizontal strip magnet and substantially coincides with one of said vertical grid lines to define a third border for said relief assembly, whereby said magnets will be attracted to said grid plate and releasably held in the positions they are placed so that a transparent support sheet may be positioned on the top surface of said grid plate within the borders defined by said fixed edge and said horizontal and vertical strip magnets, and relief elements may be secured to the top of said support sheet with the aid of said grid pattern.

4. Apparatus for use in a relief paste-up process for constructing a relief assembly by securing relief elements to a transparent support sheet, said apparatus comprising, in combination, a fiat metal grid plate having a. grid pattern formed thereon comprised of a plurality of closely spaced horizontal grid lines and a plurality of closely spacedvertical grid lines intersecting said horizontal grid lines, a straight edge fixed to the top surface of said grid plate along one side thereof and extending vertically to define a side border of a relief assembly to be constructed, a series of pairs of horizontal strip magnets of different lengths each corresponding to the width of a predetermined number of newspaper columns, each pair of horizontal strip magnets comprising two magnets of the same length different from the lengths of the other pairs in said series, a selected pair of said horizontal strip magnets being manually positioned on the top surface of said grid plate in vertically spaced relation with one end of each magnet in the selected pair substantially abutting said fixed straight edge while a longitudinal edge of each coincides with one of said horizontal grid lines to define a border for said relief assembly, one magnet of said selected pair defining an upper border and the other a lower border for said relief assembly, and a vertical strip magnet of a length approximately as great as the vertical dimension of said grid plate, said vertical strip magnet being manually positioned on the top surface of said grid plate so that a longitudinal edge thereof substantially abuts the other end of each horizontal strip magnet in said selected pair and substantially coincides with one of said vertical grid lines to define a second side border for said relief assembly, whereby said magnets will be attracted to said grid plate and releasably held in the positions they are placed so that a transparent support sheet may be positioned on the top-surface of said grid plate Within the borders defined by said fixed edge and said horizontal and vertical strip magnets, and relief elements may be secured to the top of said support sheet with the aid of said grid pattern.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein said grid pattern comprises approximately six of said horizontal grid lines to the inch and six of said vertical grid lines to the inch so as to form a square pica grid pattern, and wherein said horizontal grid lines are marked at one inch incre ments beginning at the lower end of said grid plate and progressing upwardly.

6. The invention of claim 4 wherein said grid pattern comprises approximately six of said horizontal grid lines to the inch and six of said vertical grid lines to the inch so as to form a square pica grid pattern, and wherein said horizontal grid lines are marked at one inch increments beginning at the lower end of said grid plate and progressing upwardly.

7. In a relief paste-up process for constructing a relief assembly by securing relief elements to a transparent support sheet, a method comprising the steps of forming a rectangular border with solid sides on the top of a grid pattern, said border defining the size of the relief assembly to be constructed, laying a transparent support sheet over the grid pattern and Within said border so as to be retained thereby, and taking the relief elements to make up the assembly and with reference to a layout securing said relief elements in their desired positions on the top of said support sheet While observing said grid pattern through said transparent support sheet to assist in the accurate placement and alignment of said relief elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,065,253 12/ 1936 Trotter 33-184.5 3,086,462 4/1963 Woods 101401.2 3,156,056 11/1964 Pribil 4063 3,181,206 5/ 1965 Hagney et a1 10l--401.2 3,186,323 6/1965 Niehaus 95-85 3,224,126 12/1965 Bogusz 4063 LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner.

W. D. MARTIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR USE IN A RELIEF PASTE-UP PROCESS FOR CONSTRUCTING A RELIEF ASSEMBLY BY SECURING RELIEF ELEMENTS TO A TRANSPARENT SUPPORT SHEET, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A FLAT METAL GRID PLATE HAVING A GRID PATTERN FORMED THEREON, A STRAIGHT EDGE FIXED TO THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID GRID PLATE ALONG ONE SIDE THEREOF AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY TO DEFINE ONE BORDER OF A RELIEF ASSEMBLY TO BE CONSTRUCTED, A SERIES OF HORIZONTAL STRIP MAGNETS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS EACH CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF NEWSPAPER COLUMNS, A SELECTED ONE OF SAID HORIZONTAL STRIP MAGNETS BEING MANUALLY POSITIONED HORIZONTALLY ON THE TO SURFACE OF SAID GRIP PLATE SO THAT ONE END THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTS SAID FIXED STRAIGHT EDGE WHILE A LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID STRIP MAGNET DEFINES A SECOND BORDER FOR SAID RELIEF ASSEMBLY, AND A VERTICAL STRIP MAGNET, SAID VERTICAL STRIP MAGNET BEING MANUALLY POSITIONED VERTICALLY ON THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID GRID PLATE SO THAT A LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTS THE OTHER END OF SAID SELECTED HORIZONTAL STRIP MAGNET AND DEFINES A THIRD BORDER FOR SAID RELIEF ASSEMBLY, WHEREBY SAID MAGNETS WILL BE ATTRACTED TO SAID GRID PLATE AND RELEASABLY HELD IN THE POSITIONS THEY ARE PLACED SO THAT A TRANSPARENT SUPPORT SHEET MAY BE POSITION ON THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID GRID PLATE WITHIN THE BORDERS DEFINED BY SAID FIXED EDGE AND SAID HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STRIP MAGNETS, AND RELIEF ELEMENTS MAY BE SECURED TO THE TOP OF SAID SUPPORT SHEET WITH THE AID OF SAID GRID PATTERN. 